Integrating Social Work Practice With Ecosystem Management By Marilyn Simpson-Johnson, LMSW

HOLISTIC CONCEPTION OF ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT
	Ecology		Biology
	Natural History		Political Science
Sociology				Philosophy
Chemistry				Economics
Telecommunications				Legal Studies
Landscape Architecture				Humanities (music, art, drama)
Resource Management				Ornamental Horticulture
Cultural Anthropology				Community Resource Development
Forestry & Wildlife Studies				Natural Resource Management
Urban & Regional Planning				Environmental Psychology
Heritage Studies				Foreign Language
Early Childhood Development			Environmental Adult Education
SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE: An Interstitial Problem Solving Method

A clear and irrefutable role exists for social work practice in the application of urban forestry interventions in limited-resource communities. By its own definition, urban forestry is the synthesis of many disciplines (see above schematic). It is the management of trees in urban environments. It is also the recognition that trees in the urban forest are a participating member of a much wider ecosystem that weaves together a supportive habitat for vegetation and wildlife. To this end, trees are seen as a valuable asset in the urban forest, and the urban forest is an inclusive macro ecosystem, with humans and their needs forming an important component. The schematic above provides a holistic conception of how one might define urban forestry and social work practice. Collectively, this entire suprasystem is called ecosystem management.

According to research scientist Dr. Ken Cordell, the U.S. Forest Service has moved to a more integrated view of the place of the social sciences with the 1995 launch of the Human Dimensions Framework and the 1997 vision statement for integrating the social sciences into natural resources planning. With the transition toward ecosystem management instead of land management and the incorporation of the human dimension into this management process, the social sciences have been able to identify and stake out a core role for their research disciplines in the overall ecosystem management field. Through advocacy, the social sciences got a "place at the table" with the physical sciences. Social work, however, is the other viable partner that is still under-recognized and misunderstood.

While the profession of social work has always conducted a substantial amount of empirical research on all aspects of human functioning, social work practice is where "research touches clients." Social work practice is concerned with the interaction between people and their social environments by focusing on how to build caring communities that nurture and enhance the capacity of individuals, families, and groups to grow and to thrive. The profession is guided by a set of values, principles, and ethics as espoused in the National Association of Social Worker's Code of Ethics. Two of these ethical principles are noteworthy if one is to understand how advanced social work generalist practice can be diverse and inclusive of a number of physical and social science disciplines, practice modalities, and urban Cooperative Extension. Social workers place a high value on service and practice based on the ethical principle of the worker's primary goal: to help people in need and to address social problems. As you can see, there are no restrictions on the ability of a competent social worker to fulfill this mandate. Further, social workers place a high value on social justice and practice based on the ethical principle that the profession has a duty and obligation "to challenge social injustice." No other people-serving profession has such a historically rooted commitment to the eradication of social injustice, as evidenced by over 100 years of collaborative work with other professions for the betterment of society.

In "A Technical Guide to Urban and Community Forestry," published by the World Forestry Center, the authors note the "psychological and aesthetic values" of trees, including uplifted spirits of seniors, improved recovery rates of hospital patients, violence management with incarcerated inmates, and community revitalization initiatives. The research of Drs. Frances Kuo and William Sullivan at the Human-Environment Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign documents the following:

• The greener a building's surroundings in urban areas, the fewer reported crimes. Trees cultivate healthier, safer urban communities.
• Contact with nature may actually help reduce the incidence of aggression and violence in urban neighborhoods. Trees are valuable assets in crime prevention.
• Green outdoor spaces tend to allow for more creative play and improved access to adult interaction, both of which are considered highly beneficial to healthy child development.
• Green views and access to green spaces in urban areas have been shown to reduce chronic mental fatigue, restore attention, and relieve the everyday pressures of living in poverty. Trees are valuable urban assets that can give people hope.
• Higher self-discipline in girls can be achieved through increased exposure to nature. Essentially, girls exposed to green settings are better able to handle things like peer pressure, sexual pressure, and other challenging situations.
• Residents in public housing with trees found more constructive ways to deal with conflict in their homes.
• Outdoor spaces with trees in low-income neighborhoods attract more people.
• When trees are planted, communities grow, because the more trees and grass in the common spaces of inner-city neighborhoods, the stronger the social ties of the residents.

This research on the relationship of people and their social environments (the client system) is at the heart of social work practice. Wherever research results increase and enhance the client system's capacity to achieve self-empowerment and community improvement, social work practice should be on the multidisciplinary team. While social scientists are generally research driven, social work is primarily a practice-driven profession. Social work practice declares that the client is of primary concern and the "client-in-situation" is the core medium for planned change. Physical and social scientists pride themselves on the objectivity and professional detachment of their empirical process. Social work practice prides itself on the deliberate search for subjective nuances to effect change; some nuances may be without empirical support, but all are guided by the profession's code of ethics and an appreciation for the planned change process. In other words, research with compassion is the guiding light; for social workers cannot afford to let the "chips" or people fall where they may: that type of behavior would pose an "ethical dilemma" for responsible and conscientious social workers. When the scientific inquiry ends, professional social work practice springs into action!

Ecosystem management of urban forests must establish a co-equal three-fold approach to addressing the needs of resource-limited urban communities. Traditional foresters must continue to provide the answers to how to best manage the urban forest ecosystem. Social scientists are playing a key role in the development of research data on the human dimension of ecosystem management. Their research is being integrated into the biophysical knowledge base of ecosystem management; yet, they have been extremely slow to recognize and accept the limitations of their own discipline's outputs. As research scientists, they do not practice. The application of their findings must make its way to those recognized practice professions, and social work is an interstitial profession with all other disciplines and professions, particularly those in the social sciences.

Having been shunned for decades by the traditional forestry community who still-I might add-use antiquated terms such as soft and hard sciences, the use of the USDA Forest Service/Extension multidisciplinary team, including experienced, visionary social workers and cutting-edge, inquisitive social science researchers, is a key element of contemporary ecosystem management. As team members, social workers should be able to develop creative and innovative urban forestry programs and services for resource-limited Extension/Forest Service audiences. Their place at the table as a practitioner should be co-equal and highly respected, and their capacity to launch research-driven practice with compassion should be recognized as the hallmark of over a century of finding solutions for those most marginalized in American society.